


A Little Christmas Cheer

by Jacqualine



Category: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Advent Calendar, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Kindred Spirits Advent Calendar, Oneshot, Shirbert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:13:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28328793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jacqualine/pseuds/Jacqualine
Summary: Day Twenty-Five of the Kindred Spirits Advent Calendar - Due to a snowstorm, Anne is stuck in Toronto, and will spend Christmas with her friend Gilbert.
Relationships: Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley
Comments: 1
Kudos: 85





	A Little Christmas Cheer

**Author's Note:**

> Just wanted to send a huge shout out to all the readers who read an commented on all the Advent fics. To Anignoranthistorian, LadyMcKinnonKing, and ohmygodnighttroll, thank you so much for blessing us with your amazing ideas and words!
> 
> Merry Christmas and all the best for you and yours in the New Year!!

All trains and flights out of Toronto were cancelled. Anne stared at the message on her phone, her flight was due to leave for Charlottetown that night, but a huge Nor'easter had dumped two feet of snow along the eastern seaboard, including Charlottetown, and now the storm was turning west and slowly moving to Toronto. She was going to miss Christmas at home.

"Fuck!" She growled at her phone, and sent the message to Marilla that she wasn't going to make it home. Then she sent another one to the only person she knew in Toronto. The person who had let her sleep on their couch while she came up for an interview.

Anne - This Snowmageddon has my flight cancelled. Can I stay or should I get a hotel?  
Gilbert - I don't have much planned but you can stay. I'm working tomorrow night.

He had been working a ton, the life of a new doctor. He came home and slept, she had only seen him for a total of twenty minutes over the last two days she'd stayed with him. As one of the newest recruits, he was the one that was working Christmas Eve.

Anne - I'll Zoom Matthew and Marilla and then get wine drunk.  
Gilbert - lol Sounds fun. I'm off at midnight and I don't work again until 6am on Boxing Day.   
Gilbert - Was planning on a TV dinner  
Anne - Gilbert NO!! I'll make something.  
Gilbert - you don't have to.  
Anne - Shut up  
Gilbert - See you later

She looked around his apartment, it was a typical bachelor apartment. Large screen TV, video game consoles, comfortable furniture and a few family pictures on counters and shelves. The only hint that it was the Christmas season were the few Christmas cards that were displayed on the TV console. She knew he was busy, came home, ate and fell asleep only to repeat it the next day, no one should spend Christmas day in such a depressing environment, she was going to be spending Christmas Day there too and she couldn't take three cards as the only decorations.

Gilbert was tired, he was looking forward to at least eight hours of sleep and then spending the few hours before work with Anne. He had been disappointed that he couldn't get the days off, but the Christmas scheduled had been locked in long before Anne called him and asked him for a place to stay while she was in Toronto. The whole of Christmas day with her was his Christmas gift.

He was glad he lived close to the hospital, the roads were already a mess from the snowstorm, and it was just the beginning of the slow moving storm, it took him a few extra minutes to walk to his apartment building. He took the elevator to his floor and walked down the hall, unlocking the door to his apartment. Quiet Christmas music filled his ears and the lights from a tiny mini Christmas tree on his coffee table sparkled, there were also some Christmas lights wrapped around the support beam in his living room and a large Santa sticker in the window.

"You're home. Surprise!" Anne said coming out of the kitchen carrying a steaming mug. "I just made hot chocolate, do you want one?"

"Yes please. What are you doing up?" It was after midnight. 

"I don't have to get up early and since I'm not going home, I actually wanted to spend a bit of time with you." He felt the family fuzzy feeling her got when he was near, talking, or thinking about her. He had loved her since they were fourteen, but he had been too gutless to say it then, and for the next several years, now he was just afraid to ruin the friendship they had. She was the one he called when he was having a hard day at work, she was the one he called when he needed a laugh, Bash, Moody and his other friends were sympathetic and hilarious when he needed them to be, but Anne just had the ability to make the noise, the doubts, the fears go away. He was praying she got the job she interviewed for, then he would have her close by. He had vowed to himself, if she moved to Toronto, he would make his move. 

For now he would make do with being in her company, something he had missed these last few years. A few trips down home or hers to Toronto were not nearly enough and Facetime just made him miss her more. "You decorated.You didn't have to."

" It wasn't much but we needed a bit of the Christmas cheer in here." She grinned passing him his hot chocolate.

"Well, I appreciate it. I kept meaning to do something but forgot or just put it off because I was tired."

"Which is why, you need to finish that up and get yourself to bed." She pointed to his hot chocolate.

"Yes boss." He teased. 

He had a 12 hour shift on Christmas Eve, so in the morning she helped him make some eggs and a bowl of oatmeal, and pointed to a bag on the counter. "I made you some cookies. You can take those to work."

"Cranberry shortbread?" He asked eyeing the bag. It was her Christmas speciality and he had been craving them for years.

"What else could it be?"

"You are the best."

"I'll make us dinner tomorrow."

"Anne, you don't have..."

"It's not just for you, I don't want to eat take out or frozen pizza on Christmas Day. I want the comfort food I eat at Christmas." She told him and he knew there was no arguing with her.

"Well I'll help. And I will E transfer you the money for dinner. You cook I'll buy." He stopped her from arguing more.

"Deal." She finally agreed.

"Just be careful out there, there is a grocery store around the corner, dress warm and don't slip."

"Gilbert I am from PEI, this snowstorm does not compare to what I am used to."

"Fuck me." She said to herself as she had to climb over another snowbank, they were blocking every sidewalk and street crossing, the snowplow had come through but the snowbanks and sidewalks were not cleared yet. Under the snowbanks were cold slushy puddles that managed to get into her boots and soak her feet with freezing water. She was almost there though, she was carrying two shopping bags in her hands, one on her shoulder and in her backpack, were more groceries, she was glad she thought of bringing it to the store. 

Sure PEI had more snowstorms, with more snow accumulation, but no one had warned her about the wind in Toronto. It literally hit you in the face like a slap, blowing the snow sideways into your eyes and mouth, and it kicked up the snow that had already fallen and made that attack you as well. She was grateful that Gilbert lived close to the grocery store. She tried to hurry back to his place but the snow and snowbanks made rushing nearly impossible.

When she finally got back to his place, she pulled off her boots and set them to dry over the heating vent, changed her socks and pants, both soaking wet and pulled on Gilbert's hoodie that was hanging on a chair in the living room. She breathed in his scent deeply, hugging herself, imaging for a moment it was him hugging her, she had missed him so much, even just the short time she spent with him the night before and in the morning has done little to curb the ache for him. She warmed herself up for a bit, relaxing from the trip outside, catching up on her social media, after a bit she went in the kitchen and started to work.

He decided to take an Uber, his feet were killing him, and he didn't feel like walking through the snow...that was still falling. The roads were being plowed regularly and while there was some accumulation on the ground, the roads were clearer than the sidewalks. He got home quickly and entered his apartment to the heavenly scent of something slightly spicy.

"What is that smell?" He called out, taking off his boots and jacket.

"Tacos! I was talking to Matthew and Marilla and then Diana, I missed dinner, I saw it was getting late and you might want to eat when you got home." Her cheeks were flushed and she had a slightly dazed look on her face. One he knew well, he spied the open bottle of wine on the counter in the kitchen.

"I do, I ate so many cookies I didn't eat any dinner, now I am starving."

"I also might be slightly drunk." She said.

"You did warn me." He recalled her text.

They ate side by side, standing at the counter, complaining about the weather and about their days, she put jalapenos on her taco, something she always did when she was drinking, he washed his down with a beer. She dropped half her taco onto herself, his hoodie he noted, while she was busy waving her taco around in her hand while she recounted a story Diana had told her, he hair had mostly come loose from her pony tail, and she smiled widely as she got to the funny part of her tale. He didn't want to wait to see if she moved to Toronto, he didn't want to let her go if she didn't get the job, at least not permanently.

"Why haven't I ever told you I love you?" He asked her out of the blue, surprising himself.

"You tell me that all the time." She rolled her eyes at him, clearly not getting the meaning in his words, for a moment he considered going along with it, allowing her to believe that was what he meant.

"Anne, I am in love with you." He said looking into her eyes. They grew round, and her eyebrows started to twitch and her mouth opened and closed a few times while she worked through his declaration of love for her.

"You...what?" She was shaking her head as if she didn't believe it, she looked confused, he took it as a good sign that she didn't look angry or revolted.

"I am in love with you, since the beginning. I have loved you every day more. I just wanted to let you know finally."

"I don't know what to say." She covered her mouth and nose with her hands for a second before lacing them together and resting them under her chin, staring up at him. His heart was hammering and he started to get a nervous feeling in his stomach, was this where she let him down easy? "I always imagined I would hear music, lots of violins, that my heart would swell, I would feel light headed and overcome by the words, and I would swoon into your arms. It wasn't like that at all."

Swoon into his arms? She had imagined it? "What was it like?" He plucked up the courage to ask her.

"It makes me deliriously happy." She finally smiled. "I love you too Gilbert Blythe,"

Their lips met, arms around each other, cautious, exploring each other and trying to believe that this was actually happening. He broke the kiss, lifting his head from hers, and he wondered if she was too drunk. She was certainly too drunk to do anything more, but was she too drunk to understand his words?

"I think it's time to turn in. I don't want to spend all of Christmas Day sleeping in."

"You're right, I have to get up early to put the turkey in the oven."

"You got a turkey?"

"I did. I'll make you soup with the leftovers." She promised as they began to clean up their food.

He gave her another kiss before going to bed., wondering how he would fall asleep with the way his heart was racing. She loved him too, she loved him too.

She woke to the smell of coffee and bacon, feeling a slight fuzzy hangover. That coffee smelled divine, she got up and went to the washroom and then made her way to the coffee. Gilbert was at the stove, frying bacon, it all came rushing back to her, he was in love with her and she told him she felt the same way. They had kissed. She felt almost shy now, what should she say to him? 'Morning Love'? That sounded ridiculous to her.'Hey'? That sounded too nonchalant. She didn't say anything, she walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, laying her cheek against his back, he squeezed her hands with his, letting her hold him as long as she wanted.

They stayed inside, cooking, eating, talking and kissing. Revealing their long suppressed feelings and emotions. He confessed to being fascinated with a freckle on her neck, had dreamed about kissing it for years and spent a good deal of time, doing just that. She finally lived out a decade long fantasy of really feeling his hair in her fingers, letting her hands sink into his hair and massage his scalp. 

They fell asleep on the couch in each others arms, the lights from the small Christmas tree flashing merrily.


End file.
